"We moved in two weeks ago and it feels wonderful. Please feel free to stop by at any time. We are so happy here, and grateful that you brought us to this new step in our lives. Indeed, it is everything you said, an more. The building is lovely. The people in the building are warm and welcoming. It is very well maintained."

Sheila and Marty

Community Profile >Montreal West / Ouest

Montreal West / Ouest

Montreal West/ Ouest is a small, close-knit suburban community made up primarily of single family dwellings. The town is largely composed of young families, and has a total population of 5,184, as of the 2006 census. The town's area is 1.6 km². About 66% of the population of Montreal West speak English as their first language.

The core business area of Montreal West is located on Westminster Avenue between Milner and Curzon. It consists exclusively of small, non-franchised businesses.

The earliest name in connection with this area is that of Decarie who settled the land which is known as Notre Dame de Grace in 1653. During the War of 1812, an American army, with the invasion of Montreal as its objective, was repulsed at the Battle of Chateauguay in 1813. In preparation for the possible invasion, the high ground near Avon Road was fortified. A lookout post was built on what is now Easton Avenue and trenches were dug between Campbell and Wolseley Avenues.

The Grand Trunk Railway tracks were laid in 1855 at the south edge of town while the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks went in 1886. The installation of the CPR tracks split the Montreal West location of the Blue Bonnets race track in two and forced it to move to the north east, near its present location (Hippodrome de Montréal). The present CPR station was built in 1905 and is located just east of the limits of Montreal West.

In 1893 a sewage system and electric light plant was installed but only a few houses could be served as the homes were spaced so far apart.

The Town of Montreal West was incorporated in 1897 an consisted of an area of about 400 acres, its current size. At that time there were 50 houses in the Town with a population of 350 persons.

The Town Hall was built in 1910 on the site of a tavern known as the “Halfway House” as this stagecoach stop was located about halfway between the port of Montreal and the Lachine wharf. When it opened, the Town Hall contained a billiard room, a bowling lane, administration office, as well as community meeting rooms.

Montreal West’s first school, Aberdeen Model School, was built in 1894. This school was rebuilt in 1931 as Montreal West High School which later became Royal West Academy. The two elementary schools, Elizabeth Ballantyne School and Edinburgh School were built in 1921 and 1959.

During World War II the population of the Town was 3,474 persons. In 1945 the Honour Roll listed 549 names or 1/6 the population of the Town who had volunteered for active service. This is possibly a record for the British Empire.

In 1997, as a Centennial Project to celebrate the Town’s 100th Birthday, many volunteers from the community purchased and restored the CPR Block Tower at the Westminster Railway Crossing.

Today, the ground floor of the Block Tower houses a museum which depicts the many aspects of community life in Montreal West over the years. For further information about the museum please call (514) 481-8125.

For more detailed information about the history of our Town, please see the book “Montreal West Looking Back” by our Town Historian, David Watson. This book is available at the Montreal West Public Library.